(Cedar Rapids, IA) -- The Managed Print Services Association (MPSA) announced today that Tawnya Stone, vice president, strategic technology, GreatAmerica Financial Services, serves as the association’s president, effective November 1, 2018. Stone replaces Doug Bies, who served as president since August 2017. Bies has resigned to increase his focus on responsibilities at his employer, CDS. Prior to November, Stone had served as vice president of the MPSA for just over a year. She is the first female president for the association.

“We are fortunate to have such a high caliber MPS professional in Tawnya Stone to step into the most important role at the MPSA,” said Ron Alphin, MPSA Board Chairman. “Tawnya has solid leadership skills, extensive experience in MPS, as well as a fresh technology perspective to help our association evolve in the digital era,” he added.

Stone is also an executive council member of CompTIA’s Technology Lifecycle Services Community and past chair of CompTIA’s Managed Print Services Community.

“I am honored to serve as the leader for the MPSA. We have an extraordinary group of experienced MPS leaders involved in the Board and Committees and I hope to increase that involvement and expand the MPS community,” said Stone. “Our Association is only as good as its membership activity and so I encourage those in the industry to get involved. I hope to hear from you,” she added.

In her role as VP, Strategic Technology, Stone is a member of the GreatAmerica Office of the CIO. The Office of the CIO makes decisions that set the technology direction of the company and include ideation, strategy, solution delivery, and operational decisions. In this role, Tawnya is responsible for customer-facing tools and products across various GreatAmerica business units. She works in close collaboration with business unit and functional leadership and external technology partners. Tawnya joined GreatAmerica in 2011 and since that time has served in a number of roles that have blended technology and customer facing activities. Prior to joining GreatAmerica she worked for Philips Electronics and Verizon Communications in the Washington, D.C. metro area.

Tawnya also is a member of the Technology and Operations committee within the ELFA. She was recognized by ENX as a Difference Maker in 2016 and 2018.

Tawnya is a Certified Lease and Finance Professional and earned her B.S. in Management Information Systems from Iowa State University in 1995 and her M.B.A. from Marymount University in 1999.

About the Managed Print Services Association

The Managed Print Services Association (MPSA) is an independent, not-for-profit organization that serves the MPS industry. Its focus is on the development of standards, education and industry guidelines that unite the different segments of the industry that bring value to all those participating. For more information about benefits and memberships, visit www.yourmpsa.org.

This year the response to the survey hit an all-time record high of 338 participants, according to The Cannata Report. The Best Leasing Company Award recognizes the leasing companies who provide an outstanding mix of lease options, competitive rates, superior service, and effective dealer communication.

“Consistency in professional excellence speaks for itself. Dealers have ranked GreatAmerica Financial Services number one [in The Cannata Report Annual Dealer Survey] for nine out of the past 10 consecutive years,” said CJ Cannata, executive vice president/publisher, The Cannata Report. “I would also add that based upon several discussions with dealers, and observing GreatAmerica representatives in action, these are the types of professionals leaders refer to when advocating for ‘doing business with people you like’.”

Jennie Fisher, senior vice president and general manager of the Office Equipment Group at GreatAmerica says her team is motivated by this honor. “This Award reflects the passion our GreatAmericans have for our customers. They work to exceed the expectations of our office technology partners every day. We are grateful to our dealers who place their trust in us year after year.”

The 2018 Frank Award categories and winners are as follows:

Best A3 MFP Manufacturer: Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America

Best A4 MFP Manufacturer: Kyocera Document Solutions, Inc.;

Best Production Print Manufacturer: Canon U.S.A., Inc.;

Best-in-Class Manufacturer: Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America

Best Female Executive: Laura Blackmer*, Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America;

Best Male Executive: Doug Albregts*, Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America;

An additional Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Tom Johnson at the dinner event. According to The Cannata Report, the event raised and pledged $180,000 for Tackle Kids Cancer, a philanthropic program benefitting the Children’s Cancer Institute at Hackensack Meridian Health, Hackensack University Medical Center.

*Best Female and Male Executive award nominees are based on leadership in the prior year—2017—and does not necessarily reflect their current role inside or outside of the industry.

FAIRFIELD, NJ, May 18, 2018 — The Managed Print Services Association (MPSA) is pleased to announce the winners of its 2018 Global MPSA MPS Leadership Awards. Ten winners were announced for seven categories at the 2018 ITEX Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, the evening of Wednesday, May, 16 in room 105 of the MGM Grand Conference Hall. MPSA Executive Committee member and Vice President, Tawnya Stone, emceed the ceremony.

The MPSA Awards were established in 2010 to honor those companies that have excelled in various areas related to managed print. Winners serve as shining examples to the community regarding their commitment and expertise in managed print services (MPS). The last Global MPSA MPS Leadership Awards were held in 2016 at CompTIA’s Channel Con event.

An esteemed judging panel of industry leaders, chosen from the MPSA membership and led by members of the MPSA Executive Committee to ensure impartiality and adherence to guidelines, vetted and scored awards submissions. The company scoring highest in each category was deemed winner of the respective award.

“The nominees this year were outstanding and should give everyone in our industry great confidence in the future of MPS,” said Doug Bies, President of the Managed Print Services Association. “Our winners are pushing the boundaries of MPS innovation and should be proud of their achievements.”

Each year we see new developments and initiatives in MPS that have the potential to redefine the way we view the industry. This award is intended to single out the individual, company, product, or process that can be genuinely hailed an innovation for the industry. This year, there was a novel approach to the submissions, with three member companies collaborating together to provide a solution to the industry around Seat Based Billing.

An organization selling Basic managed print services (supply fulfillment, break/fix service, and equipment services), independent from a manufacturer of printer/MFP equipment or supplies and offers MPS Plus solutions such as document management, document workflow, and/or business document processes. Services and value proposition may be targeted to specific vertical markets or be horizontal in application. Sales/delivery model may be direct to end-customers and/or through channel partners. Size/scope of organization may be local, regional, or national.

An organization providing the necessary component structure to MPS Services. Providers that provide MPS to end-user customers. This organization is not owned, directly or indirectly, by a manufacturer (including branches and subsidiaries).

A local or regional organization that provides all or any aspects of managed print services in one or more countries of the following regions; Asia Pacific, Europe/Russia, India/Middle East/Africa, and South America, whether directly or indirectly.

The Managed Print Services Association (MPSA) is an independent, not-for-profit organization that serves the MPS industry. Its focus is on the development of standards, education, and industry guidelines that unite the different segments of the industry and bring value to all those participating. For more information about benefits and memberships, visit http://yourmpsa.org/Membership or contact us at info@yourmpsa.org.

Phoenix, AZ May 14, 2018 – LMI SOLUTIONS announced today that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named Annie Willert, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, to its prestigious 2018 Women of the Channel list. The executives who comprise this annual list span the IT channel, representing vendors, distributors, solution providers and other organizations that figure prominently in the channel ecosystem. Each is recognized for her outstanding leadership, vision and unique role in driving channel growth and innovation.

CRN editors select the Women of the Channel honorees based on their professional accomplishments, demonstrated expertise and ongoing dedication to the IT channel.

“This accomplished group of leaders is steadily guiding the IT channel into a prosperous new era of services-led business models and deep, strategic partnerships,” said Bob Skelley, CEO of The Channel Company. “CRN’s 2018 Women of the Channel list honors executives who are driving channel progress through a number of achievements—exemplary partner programs, innovative product development and marketing, effective team-building, visionary leadership and accelerated sales growth—as well as advocacy for the next generation of women channel executives.”

Annie’s wealth of knowledge and experience, having grown up in the industry, has melded well with a position in which she can leverage her expertise into a consultative approach to Managed Services. Thanks to her experience managing the Customer Service department, Annie possesses a solid understanding of customer’s pain points, which has provided added insight to her sales consultations.

Her appointment to the Board of Directors for the MPSA (Managed Print Services Association) highlights Annie’s continued dedication to growing and learning within the channel. In further recognition of her success, LMI Solutions recently promoted Annie to Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Each of these factors contributed to Annie’s recognition as a leader of the channel by CRN.

“There is no one more deserving of this honor than Annie,” commented Roger King, President & Chief Operating Officer, Retired of EO Johnson, “her dedication to the channel, hard work and innovative approach to Managed Services, makes her the perfect candidate for a recognition such as this. I have known Annie’s father, Gary Willert, for many years, and as a second-generation businessperson in the channel, she has inherited her father’s qualities of honesty and fairness, and is an absolute pleasure to do business with. She is passionate, energetic, and talented, and I know I speak for many when I enthusiastically extend my congratulations to her for this honor.”

The 2018 Women of the Channel list will be featured in the June issue of CRN Magazine and online at www.CRN.com/wotc

(Cedar Rapids, IA) – CEO Juice, a provider of automated best practices for copier dealers, and GreatAmerica Financial Corporation jointly announce a new technology integration allowing office technology dealers who use e-automate to securely and easily import their lease information from GreatAmerica into CEO Juice for better, more timely business decision making. The tool also enables detailed portfolio management and reporting, ensuring all leases are managed by the sales team properly.

“Our integration road map is a top priority to help our dealers create efficiencies and better serve their customers; connecting systems with an innovator like CEO Juice was a no-brainer for GreatAmerica,” said Jennie Fisher, SVP and GM for GreatAmerica Financial Services. “Dealers will now be able to proactively manage their portfolio with actionable data. They’ll miss fewer opportunities to keep and upgrade customers with less effort since the technology does the heavy lifting for them.”

Gary Lavin, Partner, CEO Juice, is pleased GreatAmerica is making lease data available via this technology integration, “It’s great to see GreatAmerica take the lead and give partners like CEO Juice access. Being able to pull real-time data from GreatAmerica really helps us ensure there is accurate data in e-automate for our joint clients.”

The CEO Juice and GreatAmerica reporting tool allows users to immediately identify which leases are not actively being managed and which leases are at a heightened risk, due to lack of activity, in order to take proactive action. Items such as upgrade information, delinquency data, vendor buyout and remaining term for the contract can now be proactively viewed and reported on using data automatically updated daily for timely insights. Previously, office equipment dealers had to manually import spreadsheet data, which was often out of date, causing salespeople to make decisions using inaccurate information.

CEO Juice and GreatAmerica have plans to continue enhancing their integration, including the addition of subscription data alerts and the ability to access lease data in other tools such as Compass Sherpa.

Office equipment dealers interested in using this integration should contact GreatAmerica at integrations@greatamerica.comto get an authentication key which will grant permission for portfolio data to be pulled by CEO Juice. Click here for more information on other GreatAmerica integrations.

About GreatAmerica Financial Services Corporation
GreatAmerica is one of the largest independent small ticket national commercial equipment finance companies in the U.S. and is dedicated to helping manufacturers, vendors, and dealers be more successful and keep their customers for a lifetime. A family-owned business, GreatAmerica was established in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1992 and today is organized into seven business units. It has a staff of over 500 employees with offices in Georgia, Minnesota, and Missouri. Our commitment to understand the office equipment industry has positioned us as the unparalleled leader in single invoice solutions (MPS, Managed IT, and other specialized billing options). We also offer innovative non-financial services to help our dealers evolve their businesses.www.greatamerica.com

About CEO JuiceCEO Juice provides automated processes and best practice sharing for copier dealers running e-automate. We are industry experts and we share best practices learned from working only in this industry and from the 85% of large copier dealers who use us. We help them with managing and motivating sales, to service performance and communicating with customers. Juice ensures nothing falls through the cracks. www.ceojuice.com

Fort Lauderdale, Florida [March 6, 2018] –ITEX has confirmed the educational courses that will be offered at the show in May 2018. Since ITEX began in 2001, the Imaging and Technology Education Exposition (ITEX) has provided top-notch, vendor-neutral education. Attendees who register for the Conference or Certificate Pass will have access to 25 education courses led by industry experts spanning from Managed IT to VoIP.

The educational tracks offered at ITEX 2018 will be divided into 5 tracks: Marketing & Lead Generation, Managed IT & Cloud, MSP Strategies, MPS/Print, and Security. New this year, the MSP Expo will be leading education on the MSP Strategies track. This education line-up exemplifies this year’s slogan: Own the Office, Piece by Piece. There will be courses for each member of an organization: Dealer Principals, CIO, Sales, Marketing & Service Managers.

Marc Spring founded ITEX in 2001. After re-acquiring the show in 2016, Spring is proud to offer courses hosted by industry leaders, and led by successful resellers. He notes, “ITEX education is presented by industry experts, vendors and Successful dealers. We emphasize that vendors and industry experts must present vendor-neutral education - always co-presented with Business Solution Providers, (BSPs), - so that the audience can get real world stories from dealers, rather than a vendor presentation masquerading as education. Our education is designed and shared by the innovators, movers and shakers in our space.”

ITEX 2018 will be held at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, on May 15th through May 17th. Educational courses will be offered from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on May 16th, and 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on May 17th, with allocated breaks for attendees to explore the show floor. ITEX is anticipating hundreds of exhibitors with expertise in various areas while offering networking opportunities, face-to-face meetings with vendors, co-located events, and educational sessions discussing the latest products. For more information about the show, please visit www.itexshow.com. For more information about ITEX 2018 education, please visit www.itexshow.com/education.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 22, 2018 – The Imaging and Technology Education Exposition (ITEX) has confirmed that Compass Sales Solutions, the company behind Sherpa ERP, will hold their highly attended Executive Sales Summit at the annual ITEX event. The Summit will focus on sharing best practices, how-to classes, and the opportunity for Compass partners to share ideas with Compass, along with other partners nationally.

Troy Casper, President of Compass, believes that ITEX is the perfect Co-location for his event. “I have been taking part in ITEX as a vendor for over ten years. We want to support this event as we believe the industry needs a vendor agnostic event like ITEX. We are excited to bring some of the brightest talent in the industry to our summit.”

As a result of the co-location events, ITEX is anticipating 1,500 attendees at this year’s event. Marc Spring, ITEX owner, explained “We’re excited to host Compass and their dealers at our event…Compass users are among the most successful dealers in our industry. We have an array of educational sessions to offer alongside Compass’ Summit, to help build on their success.”

The Executive Sales Summit will be held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 15th, one day before the opening of the ITEX show floor, on May 16th and May 17th. The Summit consists of one general discussion, along with two breakout sessions. Dealer principals and senior sales leadership will be discussed in one session, and an administration forum will be held in the other session. The Summit format will enable a powerful exchange of ideas between the industry’s elite. As the event is rapidly approaching, ITEX is anticipating additional partner agreements leading up to the show.

St. Louis, MO – January 16, 2018 – Supplies Network is pleased to announce the addition of Primera to its product line. This vast line of specialty printing equipment and supplies spans a wide range of applications including professional-quality labels, high-quality graphics, photos and bar code labels. Primera products represent an opportunity for resellers serving customers with specialty printing needs in a variety of markets.

“We are happy to add Primera to our extensive offering of printing and imaging products. The specialized applications in color inkjet label printing and disc duplication are a marketplace differentiator for Primera and make them a good fit for our business,” said Monte White, Supplies Network’s Vice President of Product Marketing. “This new partnership is another great example of our commitment to maintaining our leading position in the market as the single source for all things printing and imaging.”

“We’re very pleased to have Supplies Network as our newest distribution partner for Primera’s range of desktop color label printers, label applicators and CD/DVD/Blu-ray™ Disc Publishers,” said Mark D. Strobel, Primera’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “We’re looking forward to leveraging the vast logistics and product management expertise and experience within their organization. Supplies Network will also expand our presence in the USA, allowing us to provide an even higher level of service and support to our valued resellers and integrators in a wide range of industries where Primera’s products are utilized.”

The addition of Primera products to Supplies Network’s offering complements one of the most comprehensive imaging supplies and equipment product lines available. Resellers receive marketing support, category expertise and branded dropship services to create an exceptional experience for their customers.

(Cedar Rapids, IA) – GreatAmerica Financial Services Corporation announced today that it surpassed the $2 billion mark in assets and concurrently reached its 25th year of uninterrupted organic growth. The two milestones are the latest installment of the remarkable journey of a young immigrant’s dream to build a company that would be the best in its field.

“Tony [Golobic] changed the paradigm in the leasing business,” said Carol Mitschke, Owner of Frontier Business Products and one of the first GreatAmerica customers. “He understood that he needed to partner with the office equipment Dealer on the financing piece, and be invested together to make sure customers were happy and stayed with their Dealer.”

As GreatAmerica grew, it applied its Dealer-centric approach to other industries, averaging annual double-digit asset growth since its inception. GreatAmerica also drew on the knowledge base of its customers to build tools and systems to help them grow. FleetView®, PathShare®, SnappShot®, DocEase® and Collabrance® are just a few of the GreatAmerica non-financing initiatives created to help build the businesses of their channel partners.

“Our longevity and success has had everything to do with the bond between our loyal partners and our exceptional employees,” said Tony Golobic, Chairman and CEO of GreatAmerica. “We’ve been fortunate to have strategies in place that drive us to constantly re-evaluate where we are in providing the best value-add services for our customers. Their needs have changed over the years, and we continue to evolve to create a frictionless platform to help them become more successful and differentiate.”

At the GreatAmerica Annual Awards event this summer, employees celebrated the 25th Anniversary and saw for the first time the GreatAmerica origin story. “There are a lot of elements in our origin story that are woven into our culture,” said Jennie Fisher, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Office Equipment Group and the third person hired at GreatAmerica. “The “why” of what we are doing becomes very clear, especially after seeing how the foundation stones have been laid. Most, if not nearly all of our 525 employees make that connection and strive to live up to our “Hard Work. Integrity. Excellence.” motto.

About GreatAmerica Financial Services Corporation

GreatAmerica is among the largest independent small ticket national commercial equipment finance companies in the U.S. and is dedicated to helping manufacturers, vendors, and dealers be more successful and keep their customers for a lifetime. A family-owned business, GreatAmerica was established in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1992 and today is organized into seven business units. It has a staff of over 500 employees with offices in Georgia, Minnesota, and Missouri. We also offer innovative non-financial services to help our customers be more successful. For additional information, please visit the GreatAmerica corporate website: www.greatamerica.com

“I’m honored and thrilled to remain part of the MPSA and have the opportunity to serve as President,” said incoming President Doug Bies. "The MPSA continues to provide its members with the ability to learn, network, and market themselves and their companies to a broad audience. We have grown as an association under Kevin DeYoung and his predecessor’s leadership, and have a long-term vision that will continue to position us as MPS experts for years to come. Great things lie ahead!”

The newly elected board of directors consists of eight members: Seven members were chosen during the elections, while the outgoing President, Kevin DeYoung, will hold the eighth position.

The 12 members that will guide the MPSA for the next two years have some of the most extensive experience in the imaging channel and represent a wide span of the industry from independent dealers and financial services to OEMs and consumables manufacturers.

The new officers will be welcomed to their new positions at the board meeting in August 2017.

If you are not currently a member of the MPSA, this is a great time to get involved and help shape the dialog. Join an international group of professionals from every aspect of the imaging industry: http://www.yourmpsa.org/join

About the Managed Print Services Association

The Managed Print Services Association (MPSA) is an independent, not-for-profit organization that serves the MPS industry. Its focus is on the development of standards, education and industry guidelines that unite the different segments of the industry that bring value to all those participating. For more information about benefits and memberships, visit www.yourmpsa.org.